When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn 
We are hours away from Christmas, and while you may be rushing to buy that last present for family and friends, there are plenty of Christmas-themed games to help pass the time when needed.
Admittedly, Christmas games are a hard sell outside of December, especially when you factor in the time and money that a game is required for. Yet, with consoles of the past 30 years having an internal clock, some games have been able to switch on some holiday themes. For example, games like Sonic Adventure on the SEGA Dreamcast would suddenly have Christmas trees in the Station Square hub on Christmas Day.
However, other games tie Christmas to its narrative in fun ways, while some titles, like Christmas NIGHTS into Dreams, simply run with it.
With this in mind, we’ve listed five of the best Christmas-themed games you can play.
Key Takeaways
- The first-ever Christmas game was reportedly Special Delivery: Santa’s Christmas. Chaos on Commodore 64 was released in 1984.
- One of the earliest Christmas movie-to-game adaptations was Home Alone, released in 1990 for almost every system available at the time.
- Simpsons Road Rage, Shenmue, and Rise of the Triad are just some games that adapt to Christmas when the internal clock lands on December 25.
- Batman: Arkham Origins is set on Christmas Eve.
- According to alleged sources, Santa Claus is definitely real (in games).
5 Best Christmas-Themed Games to Play in 2025
5. Christmas Nights
Made as a promotional demo for the fall of 1996, Christmas Nights was Sonic Team’s attempt to transform one level into a winter theme. For those unaware, Nights resulted from a brainstorming session once Sonic 3 and Knuckles were released for the Sega Mega Drive in 1994. Taking a break from the Blue Blur, Sonic Team decided to develop something completely different with analog control and 2.5D gameplay. Released in 1996, Nights was a huge success on Saturn, making it the showcase for the console while Sonic was laying dormant.
For Christmas Nights, it used the Sega Saturn console’s internal clock to change objects on the level into snowballs, moons, and more. But what made the demo stand out was unlocking Sonic, with the boss being transformed into Dr. Robotnik. Although Nights is available on PC via Steam, Christmas Nights isn’t. If you can grab the PlayStation 2 port in 2006, that’s the only way to play one of the best Christmas-themed games from Sega.
4. Batman: Arkham Origins
At first glance, the Dark Knight and Christmas doesn’t seem like a natural fit. But once you begin to play Batman: Arkham Origins, it’s a perfect pairing. Developed as a way for fans to make the wait easier for the follow-up to Arkham City, Origins is a prequel set in the second year of Batman’s debut.
Developed by WB Games Montreal, who would later develop Gotham Knights, you can glide around Gotham City, taking on enemies as before, while following the story of a new villain of the time called ‘Joker.’ The game admittedly doesn’t improve much from Arkham City, but that’s not a negative. The game is just as fun as previous Arkham games, and the post-story content, which stars Mr Freeze, is a perfect epilogue to the Christmas theme of Origins.
3. Hitman: Holiday Hoarders
One great aspect of the Hitman series is how a mission can logically fit the narrative. One great example of this is a Christmas mission called Holiday Hoarders, which debuted as part of an update in December 2016.
Set in the Palais de Walewska, a palace located on the Île Saint-Louis in Paris, France, you have to take out two thieves who are trying to steal some Christmas presents. What occurs is a hilariously random mix of assassination and Christmas. Agent 47 can dress up as Santa Claus, plant presents as bombs, and even finish the mission by climbing up the chimney. It shouldn’t work, but it does and does so gloriously.
2. Snatcher
If you combine Hideo Kojima, the film Blade Runner, and Christmas into one, you may be surprised to know that there’s a game that is essentially the result of this, called Snatcher. First released in 1988 for the PC-8801 computer and the MSX a month later in December, the game puts you in control of amnesiac Gillian Seed, who joins a detective agency looking into ‘Snatchers,’ who are Androids that are trying to replace humans throughout the futuristic Neo Kobe City, all set in 2042.
Snatcher is a graphic novel adventure game, so you’re following the plot while choosing between different options throughout to progress. What follows is three acts of an engrossing tale, all set at Christmas — and once you hear the Merry Xmas theme, it’ll be stuck in your mind for the next week. There are even nods to Kojima’s other games, such as Metal Gear. Although it’s a difficult game to obtain, there is an English version on the SEGA CD, released in 1994.
You’re in for a fantastic time if you can grab a copy.
1. Dead Rising 4
The Dead Rising series has always been known to be over the top in its story and gameplay, but its fourth entry ramped this up thanks to it being mostly set at Christmas. Released in 2016 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, you control original protagonist Frank West again, who finds himself in the shopping mall in Willamette, Colorado, facing another horde of zombies from the second game.
But with it being set so close to Christmas, you’ve essentially got an armory of festive weapons, such as boxing glove presents, the ability to throw Christmas trees at enemies, and more. One of the game’s paid DLC, the Holiday Stocking Suffer Pack, amplifies the theme by having even more items to use. These include zombies dressed as elves, a reindeer motorbike, and gingerbread men. When you add all this up, Dead Rising 4 is a perfect Christmas game to mark the holidays.
The Bottom Line
There you have it — five games that relate to Christmas in some way to help celebrate the holiday season. We’re in an age where downloadable content can be installed in an existing game that can help transform the main protagonist and the world around them into festive cheer. But with every game console and device now having an internal clock, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t see more moments where games suddenly transform, dependent on it landing on certain holiday seasons.
It’s a lost art already, and it takes away the immersion when playing a game that’s very realistic on consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S but doesn’t recognize the day you’re playing it. It would be great to see a return of this, even if it means turning random objects into Christmas trees. But it’d be a welcome present as you try to recover from the Christmas Turkey and terrible soap opera shows. Nevertheless, if you can, try out some of those featured in the list above, and see how some games pay homage to the season.
